The Time To Make Things Right
by AlicjaFromWonderland
Summary: One, even slight, change can set in motion the butterfly effect. A too light push leads to events that can endanger the whole course of Destiny. A rewrite of "The Sword in The Stone". Magic Reveal!, Established! Merthur and a lot of Angst. One-shot.


**AN: It's a birthday present for Arthurianlover. I hope you'll like it!  
**

**The title is from the song "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse.**

******Beta by 1DarkPhoenix1.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. The fanfiction includes parts of the original dialogues from S04E12 and S04E13.**

* * *

"Merlin, what's taking so long? The Feast of Beltane starts soon. I'm hardly going to join it in my undergarments, am I?" Arthur asked, turning from his mirror to Merlin. He had only his tunic and chainmail on.

"Just a minute. I'm almost done." Merlin was standing with his back to the king, seeming extremely busy with what he was doing. The blond, pushed by curiosity, slowly walked in his direction until he was just behind his servant.

"Done with what exactly?" Arthur demanded, "What do you have there?"

Merlin, hearing the closeness of the king's voice, spun around startled.

"Nothing. Just-" But Arthur had already cast a glare over his shoulder.

"Merlin, why are you putting another hole in this belt?" the blond growled.

"I was, er… enhancing it for comfort and ease of use."

"Are you saying I'm fat?!"

Merlin smirked in response, "No. I'm saying that the belt is one hole shy of perfection."

Arthur grabbed the belt with an annoyed expression and tried to tie it around his waist, but no matter how much effort he put into it, the belt didn't fit. He gave it back to the servant with a frown, "Not a word of this to anyone, understand?"

"Trust me, if there's one thing I'm good at it's keeping secrets," Merlin smiled meaningfully.

Arthur laughed at the sight and leaned forward. His lips ghosted over Merlin's soft ones and he lazily bit the warlock's bottom lip. Merlin sighed and opened his mouth. Arthur took his chance and deepened the kiss. His tongue clashed with Merlin's.

The kiss became passionate and soon both of them were breathing heavily. They broke apart and for a moment just stood there looking at each other with silly smiles.

Then Merlin winked slyly, "Although I would much prefer to take off that chainmail and shirt instead of putting your trousers on, we can't have the Beltane royal feast without the royalty. Come on, prat."

* * *

Their relationship started sometime after Mithian's departure.

Arthur wasn't himself after Gwen's betrayal. Finding her engagement ring in a forest during a hunt with the princess of Nemeth brought back the painful memories, which Arthur had tried desperately to bury in the bottom of his mind. He tried to dismiss that event as an accident, a tease of fate, but his heart took it as a sign. His hope that she would come back awakened with double the force. He wanted her back so much it hurt.

But she didn't return. Gwen had left and was not coming back. Merlin had found her and asked her to, tried to convince her that Arthur needed her, but she hadn't listened. She was too ashamed to even talk about him freely.

Arthur's disappointment was great. He tried to act normally, but Merlin knew better. He saw that the king was silent and thoughtful. When he talked he was rude, but he talked only when he had to. He mainly ignored Merlin.

Merlin hoped that the king's mood would pass quickly, that the old Arthur would be back in a month or two. But that didn't happen.

Merlin turned to the only person who could help. He told Gaius about the king's condition. The old physician suggested Merlin use a shock therapy.

But arguments and pleading did nothing.

Merlin was getting desperate.

* * *

Merlin kissed Arthur in the evening, about two weeks after the talk with Gaius.

He expected Arthur to yell at him or even hit him, but he was too desperate to care. He wanted to have _any reaction_ from the blond, even if it was a bad one. After all, he had learned a long time ago that the end justifies the means and he _needed_ Arthur back.

He certainly did not expect the king to return the kiss. And he hadn't even dreamed about what happened the following night.

* * *

They tried to forget about that event, but it kept returning in their minds, making their time together unbearable. Arthur started to distance himself from the servant once again, talking even less than before 'the night'.

Merlin couldn't stand by and watch from the sidelines as his friend destroyed himself.

So he went to Arthur's chambers and hesitantly asked the king to have a relationship with him. He said it was only to cheer Arthur up. A distraction from the blond's complicated feelings. Just sex, nothing more. It was what friends did – helped each other. The situation was awkward and uncomfortable. Thankfully, Arthur agreed.

Soon the king started to smile and laugh more often. He stopped trying to avoid talking with the knights and no longer locked himself in his chambers. Everything was running smoothly.

And then Merlin fell in love.

Luckily, so did Arthur.

* * *

"Easy now, we don't want any more holes in that belt!" Merlin smirked as he laid a plate full of food before the king.

Percival choked on his wine. Arthur sent his servant a deadly glare and motioned him to come closer. The brunet reluctantly followed the order.

"It's a good job you can at least keep _some_ secrets, Merlin."

* * *

When Morgana, Helios and Agravaine attacked, Merlin didn't think about anything else besides keeping Arthur safe. So when Gaius said that the only thing that could make Arthur leave Camelot was his magic, Merlin obeyed. He took away Arthur's will and they ran.

They left Gwaine and Gaius behind, and they lost Elyan and Percival during the escape. Merlin tried not to think about what Morgana was going to do with them.

* * *

They managed to run away from Morgana's soldiers. When Merlin calmed down, he realized that, for the first time in his life, he had used his magic to enchant Arthur. It was something he had promised to himself that he would never do.

The king was now kind and easy-going, not like himself at all. It made Merlin hate himself even more.

The end justifies the means indeed.

* * *

They headed to Ealdor, the only safe haven they knew. On the way they met a group of smugglers and joined them, so Morgana wouldn't find them. She was looking for two people after all.

* * *

Arthur woke him the next morning with a kick and screamed at him. The spell had worn off and the king was himself again.

Merlin was never happier to be scolded.

* * *

They were found the next day. They tried to defend themselves, but they were overwhelmed by the number of the enemy's forces. They had to escape for the second time, this time with Tristan and a wounded Isolde.

They walked for the remainder of the day and in the evening they made a small camp. A couple of hours later, when the smugglers were already asleep, Arthur opened up to Merlin.

"I feel like such a fool. First Morgana, then Guinevere and now Agravaine. I cared about these people. I...don't understand. What have I done wrong? Why do they hate me?" he asked his servant with a lost expression and Merlin's heart broke.

* * *

Finally, they reached Ealdor. Merlin was relieved, but then he remembered about Guinevere, who had been living in the village since he had last seen her.

She was his friend, but she had also made Arthur suffer. She'd damaged him, broken his golden heart and left him crushed. Merlin'd had to pick up the pieces of Arthur and put him back together. Fixing the king had taken him a very long time.

But Gwen had lost her chance. Arthur was Merlin's now.

Merlin smiled when he saw Morgana's former maid stood next to his mother. He was no longer worried.

* * *

That night Ealdor was attacked by Agravaine. They had to escape one more time.

They headed to caves near the village. Arthur, Gwen, Tristan and Isolde went in, but Merlin stayed behind. "I'll cover our tracks," he told them.

When they left, Merlin called Kilgarrah and asked the dragon to attack Agravaine's search party.

He didn't flinch when he heard the screams of the burned soldiers.

* * *

Merlin joined the others in the caves and told them that he'd lost their tail. However, a few minutes later they heard footsteps coming from the tunnel, where they had entered the caves.

The warlock volunteered to go back. Arthur didn't want to let him go and argued with him, but Merlin had always been stubborn.

He found their enemy on a crossroad. He shouted something stupid like "Oh, hello!" at them to catch their attention and ran, leading them the wrong way, but the path suddenly ended. There was no way to escape. He had to fight.

He pushed Agravaine and the last six of his soldiers onto the stone walls of the cave. Only Agravaine got up again.

"You have magic!" the traitor realized, "It's you! You are Emrys! And you've been at court all this time…" He looked at Merlin like he was seeing him for the first time.

"Perhaps we're more alike than you think," Agravaine smiled and reached out to Merlin, but the warlock just raised his hands in a warning. The traitor backed away cautiously. When Merlin lowered the hands though, he swung his sword towards the servant. Emrys' eyes burned and the king's uncle fell backwards like a broken doll.

* * *

They ran away without any more incidents and headed back to one of Camelot's forests. But Arthur, bothered by the betrayal of another of his subordinates, was doubting himself and his skills of leadership.

Merlin asked Kilgarrah for help, but the dragon only said, "The fate of Camelot rests in your hands, young warlock, for you and you alone can restore the king's faith. You must make him believe that he can be king once more."

Merlin had an idea though. He asked Kilgarrah to tell him where the knights who had run away from the falling Camelot were.

* * *

Merlin told Arthur a made-up story about the Sword in the Stone and led him to Excalibur. The people who had escaped during Morgana's attack were already waiting for them.

Merlin directed the blond to stand before the sword and pull it out, for only the real King of Camelot could wield the blade. But Arthur was still unsure and his pull was too weak.

"Have faith." Arthur closed his eyes at Merlin's words and pulled once again, but this time with a confidence he'd lacked. Merlin's eyes glowed gold.

Arthur raised Excalibur above his head and people cheered. Their Golden King was back.

* * *

Morgana was walking beside Helios, who had just told her about the missing soldiers of Agravaine. They were supposed to have been looking after her brother. They had been found dead instead.

"And Agravaine?" she asked.

"Unconscious." The witch's eyes narrowed.

"There's only one person who could've done this; only one man who could command a dragon. This is the work of Emrys."

* * *

Arthur stood next to Merlin. They were alone; the people had already gone to their tents for the night to get some sleep. For a few minutes their gaze was fixed on the camp. Then Arthur looked at his manservant.

"Thank you." The blond could feel a blush creeping on his face. He hated to say 'thank you' even to Merlin.

The warlock turned towards the king with a bright, confident smile, which widened when he spotted the redness of Arthur's cheeks.

"I believe in you. I always have," Merlin said and Arthur could do nothing but lean forward and kiss the idiot.

* * *

That night Merlin went to Camelot to cast a spell on Morgana. She was too dangerous to let her fight with Arthur as she was and Merlin couldn't tell the king about his magic. Not now, when Arthur had been just betrayed.

Merlin left the enchantment under Morgana's bed and rushed back. He was smiling under his nose as he left the castle, feeling the straw doll that was the vessel of the spell starting to work.

Little did he know that a guard urgently knocked on the door of the witch's chamber a moment later.

"My Lady, it's about Lord Agravaine. He's awake. He says he knows who Emrys is."

Morgana didn't sleep that night.

* * *

They burst into the throne room. Morgana was sitting on the throne, Helios just behind her.

"Welcome, dear brother. It's been far too long," she smirked and stood up. Arthur moved forward and stopped only when they were face to face.

"What happened to you, Morgana? I thought we were friends."

The witch gave him a pitying look. "I thought the same. But traitors are good liars and can be closer than true friends," she glanced over to the warlock and smirked, "Don't you think so, Merlin? You are the expert after all," she paused to make an effect, "Or should I call you Emrys?"

Merlin felt the blood leaving his face, making it as white as a sheet. Arthur frowned, oblivious. "What are you talking about? Merlin is a terrible liar; he wouldn't be able to deceive anyone even if his life depended on it."

"Are you so sure?" Morgana smiled evilly and turned to Merlin again. "You know, you amaze me in some ways. You lie to him every day and he still believes you. Even I'm not such a good actor."

Merlin looked like he could faint any moment. "H-How?" He managed to stutter.

As if to answer his question Agravaine entered the room with a dozen of soldiers. The king's uncle smiled smugly, "Nephew, Merlin, it's so good to see you here."

"Agravaine," Merlin spat the name. He managed to collect himself and the shock on his face changed into anger and determination. Arthur almost didn't recognize the expression. It looked wrong on the usually cheerful servant, but it was somehow reassuring at the same time. This was the wise Merlin, the one who appeared in difficult moments to give him a piece of advice. This was the Merlin who believed in Arthur no matter what.

Morgana stepped forward and slowly walked past her brother. She stopped before the servant and placed her hand on his cheek affectionately, like a lover would. Like Arthur had done countless times.

"Merlin, tell me, what was more difficult to do – betraying your kind or betraying your king? Watching him believe your every word or him announcing the execution of another magic user?" she said quietly and looked him in the eyes. Her own were merciless and cold, despite their intimate position. "How do you feel, knowing that I will shatter the world that you have built so carefully in mere seconds?"

"You have no right." His voice was so low that only she could hear him. A weak attempt to defend himself from what was coming.

"I have every right. I am the queen of Camelot, remember?" Her melodious laugh echoed through the room just like it had done years ago, but a sickening note of madness was hiding under it. She turned around to enjoy Arthur's betrayed expression when she would reveal the truth about his loyal servant. She hadn't had an opportunity to see it before. "You are too trustful, my dear brother. You had a powerful sorcerer right under your nose for all these years and you noticed nothing. Uther would be disappointed."

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice was small, croaky, vulnerable. He understood what Morgana was implying, but it wasn't the truth. It couldn't be. Because that would mean that Merlin had been lying to him when they were…

Together.

Friends.

Lovers.

So many names, but none of them fully describing what was between them.

Someone had to tell him it was a joke. Just a sick joke.

So why wouldn't Merlin look at him? Why wouldn't Morgana stop laughing?

But Merlin avoided the king's gaze. He couldn't let himself fall apart because of the betrayed look on Arthur's face. Merlin had already watched it too many times in his nightmares, usually followed by his burning on the pyre.

Instead, he focused on Morgana, the greatest threat in the room. She was still standing just before the warlock.

"You should have left Camelot when you learned who I was, Morgana. I'll give you one last chance – leave and never come back and I will not harm you."

She made a few steps back. The evil grin had disappeared from her face, replaced by hatred. "Do you think you can threaten me? I am the High Priestess of the Old Religion!"

"And I no longer have to hide myself! I have nothing to stop me from using my whole power against you!" Merlin's eyes shone with anger that equaled Morgana's.

"No one can stop me now! Not even you, Emrys!" She raised her hand and pointed at him. _"Astrice!"_

A great force pushed towards the confused warlock and the knights behind him. She shouldn't have had magic; Merlin had put the charm under her bed and it had worked!

Luckily, Merlin's magic reacted instinctively, despite his surprise, in order to defend him. His eyes flashed gold and the pushing force met a magical barrier. They clashed and the power of the impact made Merlin lose his balance, but the servant didn't fall. His concentration however was broken by screams from behind him as Agravaine and his soldiers attacked. Merlin's eyes wandered off the witch to catch a glimpse of the scene behind him.

Camelot's knights were outnumbered. They bravely defended themselves, but they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Merlin threw the enemies at the wall of the room, but he was pushed back by a wave of power himself as well. His back collided with the hard stone and he hit his head hard, making the world spin around him. He was barely aware of Morgana before him and the collapsed soldiers and Agravaine at the other side of the room. When his gaze finally sharpened, it was caught by a sudden movement from where the throne was.

Apparently, Helios had decided to join the battle. He was creeping up behind the shocked Arthur, who was entirely unaware of his surroundings.

The king was still looking at Merlin. Their eyes met, but seconds later Merlin broke the contact and threw Helios back with the same raw force with which he had defeated the soldiers.

The man hit the same wall as Agravaine and they heard an unpleasant crack. Unlike the others, Helios didn't make any sounds of pain after he slid onto the cold floor. He was looking up at the ceiling with an empty gaze. He was dead.

Merlin must have used too much force.

He tried to not think about how this was yet another person whom he had killed. Protecting Arthur meant staining his hands with blood. He had always known that, but it didn't make the killing easier.

The warlock felt the power that was holding him against the wall weakening as Morgana turned around to see what had happened. He pushed with his magic and freed himself.

"No one touches my friends. Not when I'm still alive." Morgana spun around, hearing Merlin, and stepped back with visible fear painted on her face. She gritted her teeth, realizing that there was no way to win this battle. Merlin was too powerful. She would have to give up and retreat.

"I will be back and I'll not lose to you the next time. You will fall and then there will be nothing between me and Camelot's throne," she spat and then smirked for the last time, "If you still have your head then, that is."

And she disappeared in a swirl of wind.

* * *

Merlin's head hurt. His vision was blurring and his magic was buzzing nervously under his skin.

The room was silent. No one had moved since Morgana's departure. Merlin could feel that everyone was staring at him, but he didn't dare to raise his gaze.

The footsteps coming from his right boomed like drums in the pregnant silence. They stopped a couple of feet from Merlin.

"How long?" The voice was low, charged with restrained emotions. Merlin closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself and slowly opened them, finally looking at Arthur. He saw a blank expression, but he knew that it was just a mask.

"How long have you practiced magic?"

"My whole life. I was born with it." The answer seemed to break something in the blond. Arthur let the rage take control over him. His poker face disappeared, replaced by fury. Merlin thought for a moment that he would hit him, but the king just screamed,

"And you have never told me?! You traitor! You have never been my friend!"

His words pierced Merlin like an arrow. The accusations couldn't be further from the truth. Merlin had sacrificed everything for Arthur – his life, his friends, his father, his purity and innocence.

"And what was I supposed to say?! '_I don't like you, but your father employed me, so we have to bear each other somehow. And by the way I'm a warlock'_?!"

"At least then you wouldn't have lied to me every day! You betrayed me!" Arthur repeated.

"I have never betrayed you! I did everything for you! You have no idea what I have had to do just because I was protecting you!"

"Exactly! I have no idea because someone has never thought to tell me!"

"I thought about it every day! I hated that I had to lie to you!"

"So why did you never say anything?!"

"When could I?! When you hated me, thought I was a fool?! When your father executed everyone even suspected of magic?! When Morgana betrayed you?! When Uther died?! When?!" He stopped to catch a breath. Arthur immediately saw the opening.

"Maybe when I started to bed you?!"

The atmosphere changed instantly. Merlin paled visibly; his eyes turned from suns burning with anger into cold steel.

"I understand. I'm sorry that you had to sleep with a monster."

Arthur was dumfounded. That was not the answer he had been expecting. "What?"

But Merlin wasn't listening anymore. He walked to the entrance of the throne room. He glanced at Agravaine, who had woken at the beginning of the argument and was now staring at him with fear. "Get up and follow me. And no tricks, traitor."

"Where the hell do you think you are going?! I wasn't finished talking to you!" Arthur exclaimed.

Merlin didn't even turn around to face him. His voice was blank as he said, "To the dungeons, of course. Isn't that the best place for the evil magic users? I'm sorry, but you will have to build the pyre on your own." And he stormed out of the room, pulling Agravaine with him.

He almost ran to the dungeons. He passed by Camelot's victorious knights and Helios' captured soldiers. They gave the pair surprised looks, but they said nothing, noticing Merlin's expression.

Only once someone, probably Leon or Gwaine shouted "Hey, Merlin!", but the warlock didn't stop. He caught a mumbled "What the hell?" before they took another turn and disappeared from the sight of the knight.

Finally, they got to the dungeons. Merlin passed by the empty guard's room and threw Agravaine to one of the cells. He locked it with magic and went into the next one, where he repeated the spell.

Once he was alone, he let his tears fall down. He sat on the hard bed and covered his face with his hands, letting himself break.

"It wasn't supposed to be like that."

* * *

Four days passed. Four whole days full of worrying and pondering where he had made a mistake. His life had turned upside down in seconds like a blown house of cards. Where had it started to go so wrong? What could he have done to stop it, make it right?

Four days and, besides the guards with food, no one came.

He hadn't eaten even one full meal since he locked himself in. He felt sick even thinking about food. He hadn't slept much either. He'd tried, oh how he had tried, because it was the only way of escaping reality. Well, the only way he dared. However, his body refused to let him rest. Every time he dozed off, he woke up two or three hours later, even more tired than before. He was sure that he had dark bags under his bloodshot eyes from the exhaustion.

He'd thought about running away. Damn destiny. He wasn't wanted here anyway. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. He couldn't leave Arthur. Not yet at least.

Finally, after four days the door opened and it was not the guard who entered the cell. Merlin stood up, seeing the familiar figure. "Gaius?"

The old physician came closer and sat on the bed, where the warlock had been lying. "Are you alright, Merlin? You look awful."

"How can I be alright? Actually, I'm as far from alright as I can be!"

Gaius looked stunned at his outburst. "Merlin!"

The warlock shuddered, and sat beside the older man. His shoulders fell in resignation. "I'm sorry. I just… I… I don't know what to do. I think I've lost him, Gaius."

"Oh, my boy," Gaius said and hugged him, "Arthur will come around, I'm sure of it. You just have to give him time."

"I did! I've been waiting for him for four whole days and he hasn't come to talk. Nobody has! They all hate me now." Merlin's sight blurred as tears came to his eyes, threatening to fall. He buried his face in Gaius' robe.

"They don't hate you, Merlin. They are just surprised. And they didn't come because Arthur forbade them to see you."

"He did?" Merlin couldn't believe his ears. Did Arthur hate him so much?

"Just after your fight. It is understandable; he was controlled by anger. He would surely have lifted it by now, but his…" Gaius stopped midsentence, as if he hadn't meant to say that.

"His what? Tell me, Gaius!"

The physician sighed, but he saw that Merlin wouldn't let it go. "His condition has worsened."

"He's ill? Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"We didn't want to worry you; you already have so many burdens. And the king's ban of seeing you still stands."

"But he will be all right, yes? He will be ok?" Merlin raised his head from his mentor's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Merlin. I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do."

Merlin's heart thumped in his chest heavily and his eyes widened in disbelief. No, it couldn't be right. Arthur couldn't die. Merlin'd saved him. He had protected him from Morgana, Helios and Agravaine. The king had been fine when Merlin'd left him.

The warlock was so stunned that he didn't even notice that Gaius was still talking. "…so sorry. I wish I could help, but it's beyond my abilities," the physician stopped, seeing Merlin's expression. "I'll leave you now, Merlin. If you need anything, just ask. The guards will pass me the message."

The warlock didn't acknowledge that he heard Gaius' last words. He was too overwhelmed to do anything.

Gaius got up and walked out of the room. He closed the cell's door behind himself and let out a heavy sigh. He didn't like to manipulate Merlin, but he couldn't stand by and watch as the two of them wasted themselves away. He hadn't lied – there was no medicine for sadness and Arthur's condition was indeed bad. He knew that half-truths were the only way to make Merlin leave the cell. The boy was too stubborn for his own good and the king was the same.

He knew that he'd made the right decision, but it didn't ease the guilt he felt.

* * *

Merlin didn't know how long he stayed on the hard bed after Gaius left, staring at the wall. He didn't move; he just sat there, appearing to be still, but inside him raged a storm of feelings. Disbelief mixed with anxiety; hope fought with resignation and sadness; anger tried to break through the wall of denial. Something deep in his conscious mind told him he was in shock.

Different scenarios of Arthur's death played in his head again and again. He could have cut himself in the forest and gotten an infection. Morgana could have cursed him. He could have been poisoned. Someone could have attacked him.

Finally, a hopeful thought came through the scenes of Arthur dying. "_Maybe I can cure him?"_

Merlin caught the thought desperately and focused on it. It gave him the strength to move, a purpose. He couldn't let himself believe that everything was lost. He had to _see_ first.

Merlin blinked and moved his gaze towards a small window, the only one in his cell. It was dark. At least two hours had passed since Gaius' visit. Merlin had to hurry.

He concentrated on Arthur and let his magic lead him to his king. The door of the cell opened, revealing the dungeons and figures of guards, who lay on the floor deep in a magically-induced sleep. He moved past them, sparing them only a glance.

The remainder of the journey to Arthur's chambers passed in a blur. Merlin couldn't remember how he got there, but he didn't care. Only Arthur mattered.

Opening the door to Arthur's room was one of the most difficult things he'd ever done. Because until he saw it for himself, Arthur's death was just empty words. He took a deep breath to calm himself, before hesitantly gripping the handle and slowly pushing it down. The door opened with a soft creak.

The room was lit by a single candle. The shadows danced together with the movements of the flame.

Merlin stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath and turned around.

Arthur wasn't in his bed. Merlin's heart squeezed achingly; terrified that the king was already dead, buried under the cold ground, without even hearing a last goodbye from Merlin.

A flash of gold caught his gaze and he followed it to Arthur's desk. It looked like a tornado had come over it. The lit candle that stood on the desk was surrounded by documents. They laid everywhere, thrown chaotically and without care. A piece of cloth, probably a shirt hung from one of the corners of the furniture. Merlin had always told Arthur that his desk was a mess, but it had never been so bad before.

Behind the desk sat Arthur himself. He looked like he hadn't slept at all in the past four days. His face was grayish and his eyes weren't as blue as Merlin remembered. His golden locks, the weak shine of which had caught Merlin's eyes, were matted and dirty. His gaze was fixed on the document before him. He wasn't reading it though; his eyes didn't follow the lines. He was just staring, deep in thoughts.

He looked sick.

Merlin froze. He hadn't expected to see Arthur conscious. Afraid of the king's reaction to seeing him, he waited for some sign that he could come closer, but the blond didn't move. Merlin realized that he didn't know that the warlock was there. Merlin walked closer and spoke softly, "Arthur?"

Arthur finally noticed that he was no longer alone. He rubbed his eyes and groaned angrily, "I thought I said that I didn't want to be disturbed. I don't care that days have passed, you are supposed to do what I order you. Besides, you can't call me-" He stopped as soon as he raised his gaze and saw Merlin. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Merlin cracked a weak, unsure smile and slowly took a step forward. Arthur still said nothing, so he took another and then another and another. Soon he was standing beside his king.

Arthur stared at him and looked as if he wanted to say something, but Merlin hadn't forgotten about his reason for being in Arthur's chambers. He could talk with the blond later; now he had to make sure that Arthur was fine. Very slowly, so as to not startle the king, he placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder and sent his magic inside his body.

Merlin was rubbish at healing spells, but he always could tell if something was wrong. He wasn't a sorcerer, who had to learn how to wield magic; it was more like having another sense. And, because of their Destiny, his magic was connected to Arthur in some way. Merlin could always tell when Arthur was in any danger.

Merlin's eyes burned gold as his magic surged through Arthur's veins, looking for damage. Arthur hadn't slept at all and was on the verge of getting hallucinations. He was also starved and dehydrated. But there was nothing more. No deadly or incurable illnesses, no new wounds.

Merlin's hand shot back and he made a step backwards. The shock was painted on his face. He started to babble, "I don't understand. It isn't there. Why isn't it there? Did I miss something? No, I'm sure I didn't. But Gaius said…" That sentence paused in the middle caught his attention.

Merlin trusted his magic and he trusted Gaius, but the physician had hidden things from him in the past, believing that it had been for the best. He would do anything to make sure that people who he cared about were safe. And to make sure that Merlin and Arthur were safe, he had to make them talk. There was no illness from the very beginning.

"Merlin, are you all right?" Arthur's words cut Merlin's train of thoughts. His expression showed confusion and fear, but it was fear _for_ Merlin, not of him, like the warlock expected to see. There was worry hidden in the king's questioning eyes. Arthur looked like a child concerned about the well-being of his parent.

They needed to talk and it would be a very important talk, maybe the most important one they'd ever have. It would change things, for better or worse, Merlin didn't know.

But it could wait. What Arthur needed most now was water and sleep.

"Yes, I'm fine. Come on, prat. We need to get you to your bed."

Arthur didn't protest when Merlin fed him with water. He actually relaxed and let Merlin handle him like the warlock had done before things had changed.

When the blond was in his bed he grabbed Merlin's hand. "Will you stay?"

Merlin hesitated. He had thought about running away in that dark cell, but now, after seeing how vulnerable Arthur was, he would never bring himself to go away. He smiled softly, "Yes, Arthur, I'll stay. I promise that I'll never leave you again."

* * *

A soft light touched Merlin's cheeks and eyelids, waking him up. He groaned sleepily, not ready to face a new day yet. The bed was comfortable, much more so than Merlin's. Arthur had rarely allowed him to stay the night in his chambers; he didn't want to risk anyone catching them together.

"I had a really strange dream. You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Merlin yawned, stretching like a cat, and reached out to pull Arthur into his embrace, but the sheets next to him were empty.

Arthur hardly ever woke up before Merlin. And when he did, they were already late, so Arthur immediately woke him too, usually with a scolding.

Alarmed, Merlin abruptly opened his eyes and looked around the room.

He found Arthur sitting on a chair by the table, where he normally ate his meals. He was staring at the warlock, pinning him to his place. His eyes were dark and tired. "Try me."

The memories of the past week finally connected and reality hit Merlin. The last few days weren't a dream, as he'd thought for a brief moment, still in a sleepy haze.

He really wished they were.

He noticed that he was still in his clothes. He'd fallen asleep next to Arthur last night, unable to resist his own exhaustion.

Merlin sat on the bed. He knew that Arthur was finally having the conversation with him. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't afraid of it. Before, that fear had been covered by other emotions, but now he had nothing to shield himself with.

"Arthur, I…" he started, but he had no idea what he wanted to say.

"I want you to tell me everything. Correct every lie you've told me, Merlin." Arthur's commanding voice was as tired as his eyes.

And Merlin did. He told about Ealdor and Camelot, about beasts and sorcerers, friends and foes. It was a long story and Merlin had to cut it short in the less important details.

They were disturbed only once. The guards came to inform the king about the warlock's disappearance from the dungeons, but Arthur dismissed them quickly. Besides that, the blond said nothing until Merlin finished two hours later with a hoarse voice.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" the king demanded when Merlin was done.

"I was afraid that you would hate me, that I would lose you. And I couldn't hurt you like that. You've lost so many close to you already," Merlin replied flatly.

"Why did you say '_I'm sorry that you had to sleep with a monster' _when we fought?" Arthur asked then out of blue.

"Every magic user is evil. Magic corrupts. Sorcerers are nothing but monsters. When someone tells you these things long enough, you start to believe it yourself," Merlin said grimly, "I would be like Morgana but for my mother and Gaius. And you." He looked up at Arthur's face and saw that the king's expression changed at his words, showing regret and shame.

"God, Merlin, I'm sorry," Arthur whispered, "You did so much for me. You defended me from _her_ in front of my very eyes and all I did was scream at you." Merlin saw in Arthur's eyes that the king meant what he said. The warlock suddenly realized that the blond really did care about him. Merlin wanted to smack himself in the head for not noticing it before. He was the other side of his coin, as the dragon said, and Merlin could never hate Arthur, so why had he believed that Arthur could hate him?

He pulled Arthur into an embrace. "You have nothing to apologize for," he said firmly, "I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I lied to you, have been lying for years. I didn't want to, but I did." His voice broke with a sob. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He couldn't stop the tears coming from his eyes anymore. They fell from his cheeks onto Arthur's tunic, wetting it. The blond put his arms around him and pulled him even tighter.

"Shhh, it's ok. I understand and I forgive you, but don't hide anything from me from now on. Promise me."

"I promise. I'll do anything you ask. I'll give you the world if you want me to." The words came as a barely audible whisper.

"You really do love me, don't you?" Arthur smiled happily and a bit mockingly, trying to change the topic. He wasn't good with feelings and the depths of Merlin's devotion scared him.

"Don't let it get to your big head or the crown won't fit you anymore." Merlin was glad to return to their regular banter, even if it was a bit too fast and out of the mood. It meant that everything was fine.

Arthur laughed softly as he broke their embrace and kissed Merlin gently. Then he took a step back and put on his crown. He also picked up his red cloak. "Come on, we are going."

"Where?" Merlin moved to help Arthur with the cloak.

"To today's council meeting. I had it called while you were asleep. Good thing I scheduled it at so late an hour, because you certainly took your time."

"Oi! You wanted me to talk!" the warlock exclaimed as he finished attaching the cloak to Arthur's formal jacket. "But why are you taking a known sorcerer with you?"

Arthur walked out of the room and went down the corridor; Merlin followed. "I've thought a lot in the past few days. I didn't want to make the decision without knowing what you had hidden from me before, but with what you told me I don't really have a choice, do I?" Arthur smirked.

That left Merlin confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

They stopped before the throne room. The king's expression became more serious when he answered, "I have a law to change and I need someone to help me fight with the councilors. They share my father's beliefs and it will take a lot of time and effort to convince them otherwise."

Merlin looked at him with wide eyes. "You are going to repeal the ban on magic?"

"Yes. It's time to make things right. And you are going to help me with that."

Arthur took Merlin's hand and they entered the throne room together.


End file.
